Well-drilling apparatus



s. A. HGRTON. WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 2, 1894.-

w 3 A m. w J n h L H m W I/ FIR T A 0/, 6 0 7 Am A M li 111 51444 4 I 1l, 1.

IHr

(No Model.)

NIT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. HORTON, OF CLARKSVILLE, TEXAS.

WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,708, dated October2, 1894:.

Application filed September 1 89 Serial No. 3 o (N0 model-l To all whomit may concern:

13o it known that I, STEPHEN A. HORTON, a c tlzen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Olarksmile, in the county of Red River and State ofTenas, have invented a new and useful Well- Drllllng Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

lVIy invention relates to Artesian or oil well drllling apparatus, andespecially to means for detachably securing the drill-bit to the tubing,and it contemplates the provision of improved means whereby an expansiondrill blt or blade of any preferred construction can be secured to ordetached from the drill tublng without removing the latter from thewell. I The object of my invention is to provide improved means forattaching the core, which represents one part of the coupling andcarrice the drill-bit to the shell, which represents the other part ofthe coupling, by a rotary forward motion of the tubing, or a motlon inthe direction of drilling, and for detaching the same by an oppositemovement of the tubing. In order to permit of this reverse rotation ofthe tubing I have found it necessary to provide means for coupling thesections of the tubing whereby accidental detachment is avoided, andhence in setting forth my invention I have shown and described acoupling for the sections of tubing whereby the tubing may be rotated ineither direction without affecting the security of the connections.

Further objects and advantages of this in:

vention will appear in the following description, and the novel featuresthereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. r

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of a portion of awell tubing provided with drill-hit securing devices embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken centrally of the shelldetached from the tubing and the core removed. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe detachable member or core.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corl responding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The fixed member or shell 1 is provided with interior spaced ribs 2,which are disposed parallel with the axis of the shell and are dividedto form separate parts arranged in alignment with intervening openspaces; and the core 3, which carries the expansion bit 4:, is providedwith exterior vertical ribs 5, extending from the upper to the lower endof the core and connected at their upper ends by a stop-shoulder 6.Intermediate between the ribs 5 are arranged vertical auxiliary ribs 7,which are connected at their lower ends to the main ribs, respectively,by horizontal bearing-ledges 7, thus forming pockets 9 between theauxiliary and main webs, of which the ledges form the floors. Thedistance between the upper edges of the ledges corresponds with thedistance between the lower ends of the parts of the ribs in the shell.The diameter of the core is increased within the pockets to form cam orwedge faces 10, for a purpose hereinafter described, and the upper endsof the auxiliary ribs, the lower ends of the main ribs 7, and the upperends of the ribs 2 are tapered to facilitate the application of themembers.

The core is hollow, being provided with a bore 11, with whichcommunicate perforations 12 formed in the wall of the core, the bore 11being designed to allow water to pass from above the core to thedrill-bit, and the perforations 12 facilitating the lowering of the coreinto the casing by allowing the escape of air and water from the spacearound the core to the interiorthereof. An operating rod or cable 13 isconnected to the upper end of the core by means of a yoke or staple 14;.

In operation the shell or fixed member of the coupling is attached tothe lower end of the lowermost section 15 of the well tubing, and whenit is desired to attach a bit to the tubing, the latter is secured tothe lower end of the core and the core is lowered by means of theattached rod into the tubing until the stop-shoulder on the core comesin contact with the upper ends of the ribs in the shell. The parts areguided to this position by the tapered upper ends of the ribs 2 andlower ends of the ribs 5. With the parts in the relative positionsmentioned, the core may be rotated to the left, or in a directionreverse to that of the rotation of the tubing during the drillingoperation, by twisting the rod before the lower end of the drill-bitcomes in contact with the lower end of the hole, but it is also possible(and desirable when a cable hole the rotation of the core, whichheretofore has been equal to that of the tubing, will be checked, andthe tubing will continue to rotate independently of the core until theribs 2 come in contact with the edges of the main ribs 5. After this thecore will rotate with the tubing, but as the tubingis gradually loweredthe interior ribs ofthe shell will pass into the pockets 9 on the core,thus locking the two members firmly together. The lock is made stillmore secure by the cam surfaces within the pockets against which theinner surfaces of the ribs bite and prevent vibration of the core,-saidribs being correspondingly tapered.

To remove the drill-bit the tubing is elevated a sufficient distance toenable the core to drop and release the ribs of the shell from thesockets of the core; and in case the parts cling together and the coreis elevated by the frictional contact thereof, it may be released bystriking the upper end of the rod 13, or tapping the tubing with asledge and jarring the same, after which the core may be rotated to theright, or the tubing may be rotated to the left, at the same time thatit is lowered gradually to bring the lower ends of the blades intocontact with a fixed object in ordfiarlto prevent the core from turningwith the s e l.

From the above description it will be apparent that my invention isdesigned to provide for attaching and detaching a drill-bit by meanscontrolled by the rotation of the tubing, thereby necessitating either aforward or a backward rotation of the tubing in applying or removing thebit. In order to accom plish this operation successfully and withoutcausing the disconnection of the sections of the well tubing, it isnecessary to provide a coupling between such sections which will permitrotation in either direction. In Fig. 1

I have shown such a connection in which the ends of the sections areoppositely screwthreaded exteriorly and are provided with terminalshaving intermeshing irregularities or serrations, and these extremitiesof the sections are engaged by asleeve 19, which is screw-threadedinteriorly in opposite directions from its center to its terminals. Inconnecting the adjoining sections their ex tremities are fitted inopposite ends of the sleeve, and the latter is rotated, thereby drawingthe two ends toward each otheruntiltheir terminal irregularities orserrations 1ntermesh and prevent independent rotation of either section.

It will be understood that when a cable 15 employed, an auger-bit andjars must be 1nterposed between the core and the cable to givesufficient Weight for a proper operation in coupling and uncoupling. ItWlll be understood, furthermore, that various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a rotarywell-drilling apparatus, a coupling for connectinga drill bit to thedrill tube, comprising detachable telescoping members, the exteriormember or shell being provided with interior spaced ribs, and thenterior member or core being provided with exterior longitudinal ribs 5,short parallel ribs 7, ledges 8 connecting the lower ends of the shortribs 7 to the continuous ribs 5, and a stop-shoulder 6 connecting theupper ends of the ribs 5, substantially as specified.

2. In a rotary well-drilling apparatus, a coupling for connecting thedrill bit to the drill tube, comprising detachable telescop ng members,the exterior member or shell being provided with interior spaced taperedribs 2, and the interior member or core being provided with pockets 9having closed lower ends and beveled surfaces 10, whereby as the ribs 2are fitted into said pockets by the descent of the exterior member orshell the beveled surfaces of the said ribs engage the beveled surfacesof the pockets and bind the parts against independent vibration,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affiXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN A. HORTON.

W'itnesses:

H. C. MOORE, J. J. EARLY.

